CF-19 issue

Hi all
I have a used CF-19MK4 bought at a swap meet with some kind of IT lock, When booting into windows7 it thows a screen that says to reset this call IT support at xxx-xxx-xxxx, (the phone number is disconnected). Worried about a WARM laptop, I called Panasonic and was told the laptop was NOT stolen. I can get into the bios and have disabled all security. I called the 800 number for the service center and was told that it would be $200 to reset the laptop(reflash the bios). I have re-formatted the drive and removed the aircard thinking it is trying to affiliate with a network and that is the reason for the splash screen.
Any less expensive route besides sending it in?
It seems like a bios issue, the toughbook is running v4.00v11

 

Any pictures of the splash screen?

 

I bought some CF-53 caddies with drives, new pulls. They act the same way you describe. It has to be in the OS load (custom boot manager?) as they behave the way you describe in my CF-53 so it's not the bios. Get a restore disk.
CAP

 

I see what Cap is saying...It could be in the boot sector of the drive. In which case, a format will not remove it.

 

Low level format will help
For beginning try to change master boot record (MBR).

 

To clarify. The drive I mentioned opened with a company logo on the splash screen and instruction to enter a password or contact the IT department. This drive was pulled by a distributor and replaced with a SSD. It must have been loaded with a custom image by Panasonic. If this is your issue a restore disk will wipe the disk and get you running. I quit trying to build my own drives from generic Windows loads after my first CF-18.
CAP

 

That sounds like a boot loader. Very similar to a common linux based one that is used to solve a windows problem. Once it is loaded, you dont know it is there..Good partitioning software in the right hands can remove it. Or a recovery disk will also.